Standing Rules

Standing Rules of the Legislature

1. The Committees must prioritize their bills and present a written
list to the House and Senate.

2. Bills may be pigeonholed or amended in committee.

3. A committee must request the presence of the author to explain the meaning of a bill.

4. Bills not passed out of committee may be pulled from the Committee to the floors of the House or Senate by a 2/3rds vote of each body.

5. Any bill passing the House or Senate in different forms must go a conference committee consisting of three House members and three Senators. Members to be selected by the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate.

6. The Conference Committee report may not be amended by either body.

7. A bill passing either body must be signed by the presiding officer and presented to the other body within 30 minutes of its passage. The report of its arrival to the other body shall be made by the presiding officer to the entire body. Then it shall be placed on the calendar of bills.

8. It will be the responsibility of the sponsor of a bill to find a sponsor in the other body.

9. A bill that has passed both bodies in identical form shall be delivered to the Governor by the Clerk of the last body that passes the bill within 30 minutes of its passage. The bill must be dated and the time of its passage clearly indicated on the cover of the bill with the signature of the presiding officer of that body.

10. A Chair of a committee may request a bill be sent to their committee with a majority vote of the body. The bill is then in the possession of that committee.

11. The chief clerks of the legislative bodies are appointed by the respective body's presiding officer. The duties of the chief clerk are as follows:

Any documentation entering or leaving a legislative body must go through the chief clerk.

The chief clerk must put the date and time on every document he/she handles.

It is the chief clerk's responsibility to make sure that every bill or amendment that goes through the legislature has the appropriate documentation, and the signature of the presiding officer.

The office of chief clerk is a non-voting position.

The chief clerk will announce the results of votes in the body.

The first reading of any bill to the body will be by the chief clerk.

12. The floor leaders will be appointed by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate

The floor leader is the individual recognized at the direction of the presiding officer for motions.
The floor leader is also responsible for maintaining order on the floor in their respective body.

13. Roll Calls. Roll calls in the House and Senate must have a show of 15 hands in the house, and seven hands in the Senate.

14. House Rules Committee shall consist of the Speaker of the House, the House Floor Leader (who will chair) and the Chairs of the Judiciary, Transportation, Health and Environment Committees.

Senate Rules Committee shall consist of President of the Senate, the Senate Floor Leader (who will chair) and the Committee Chairs of General Legislation, Education and Ways and Means.

The Chief Clerks of each body will serve as recording secretaries and report back to each body the Special Order of Bills passed by the Rules Committees.

15. A Committee may recommend a bill be placed on Consent Calendar. These are noncontroversial bills that should not need much if any debate. A Consent Calendar bill goes directly to the body it originated in such as a Senate bill to the Senate and a House bill to the House. Consent Calendar bill may be removed and sent to Special Orders if one member makes the motion.

Governor's Role in the Signing of Legislation into Law

Approval of bills by governor; action on veto.

Every bill passed in conformity to the rules of each house and the joint rules of the two houses shall be presented to the governor. If he approves a bill, he shall sign it, he notifies the house in which it originated of that fact. If he vetoes a bill, he shall return it with his objections to the house in which it originated. His objections shall be entered in the journal. If, after reconsideration, two-thirds of that house agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the governor's objections, to the other house, which shall likewise reconsider it. If approved by two-thirds of that house it becomes a law and shall be deposited in the office of the chief clerk of state. In such cases the votes of both houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the persons voting for or against the bill shall be entered in the journal of each house.

Any bill not returned by the governor within three hours after it is presented to him becomes a law as if he had signed it, unless the legislature by adjournment within that time prevents its return. Any bill passed during the last three hours of the session which is not signed does not become a law.

If a bill presented to the governor contains several items of appropriation of money, he may veto one or more of the items while approving the bill. At the time he signs the bill the governor shall append to it a statement of the items he vetoes and the vetoed items shall not take effect. If the

legislature is in session, he shall transmit to the house in which the bill originated a copy of the statement, and the items vetoed shall be separately reconsidered. If on reconsideration any item is approved by two-thirds of the members elected to each house, it is a part of the law notwithstanding the objections of the governor.

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